


How To Relate

by roryprilla



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2013-08-15
Packaged: 2017-12-23 13:52:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/927256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryprilla/pseuds/roryprilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternative ending to season 3A.  As always Derek's life has its ups and downs. It's down for a while.<br/>Stiles finds out a way to beat Deucalion. He doesn't know that the Demon Wolf helps his plan without knowing about it.</p>
<p>'I don't even know what would you do without me' Stiles smiled as he left the loft.<br/>'Enjoy the silence, I assume' Derek replied and he closed the door behind the boy.</p>
<p>(Short of) Sequel of my other fanfiction <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/927540/chapters/1803350">'One Step Closer'</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Written in the Notebook

'I know how will we beat the megalomaniac' Stiles said as he stepped in to the loft.  
'Correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I can recall it was less than two days ago when you yelled at me that you never want to be a part of this whole nightmare again' Derek answered as he walked down the stairs.  
'I know, I know. I was a bit dramatic' the boy smiled and he sat down to the couch. 'But to be fair, it was your psychotic girlfriend who wanted to sacrifice me for some ancient Celtic gods right after she kidnapped my father.'  
'I already apologized for that' the werewolf replied but he seemed guilty.  
'Don't be mad but I have to ask you something' the younger one said and he waited for the other one to nod. 'How can you always choose the bad girl?'  
'Stiles, I don't care that you were almost killed two days ago' the werewolf said and he started to walk to the boy. 'I'm gonna rip your throat out if you ask me something like this again.'  
'With your teeth, I remember. I finished' Stiles raised his hands up to protect his face. 'But there was Kate and now Ms. Blake…'  
'Stiles…' Derek showed his fangs. 'Stop talking about me and tell me why you came here.'  
'Okay, I'm sorry' the boy cleared his throat. 'I don't know how much you remember but we already spoke about what makes an alpha strong.'  
'His pack' the older one said and he walked to the window. 'The stronger the betas become, the more powerful their alpha becomes.'  
'So you actually listen to me sometimes. It makes my heart melt' Stiles nodded and put a notebook on the desk. 'I read some interesting history books and I realized something. You don't have power if you don't have people to rule. So all we have to do is make sure Deucalion loses his pack.'  
'I won't do that again' Derek shook his head. 'I already lost Boyd because a plan like this. I won't attack them again.'  
'Did I say something like that?' Stiles asked and the werewolf turned to him in surprise. 'I know that the pack isn't strong enough to fight them. And I don't want to risk their lives.'  
'So what's your plan?' the older one walked to the couch but didn't sit down.  
'We have to make them leave Deucalion' the boy said. Derek looked at him like he was insane so he continued. 'We all know that he's cruel. They just have to find out how much. I asked Scott to talk to Deaton because he was the one who tried to save Ennis' life after you fell '  
'He helped them?' the werewolf raised his eyebrows.  
'He's a veterinarian, he tried to' Stiles replied. 'But why does it matter? He's dead.'  
'It does matter' Derek answered. 'Whether he tried to save him and he failed or he killed him without the alphas noticing it. I don't even know which version is worse.'  
'He is dead, we know more than they do. I don't see how is it bad' the boy said. 'Why are you here anyway?'  
'Cora sent me home' the werewolf sat down. 'She said she needed some alone time.'  
'Which means you looked terrible' Stiles nodded. 'Where's Peter?'  
'I don't want to know' Derek opened the notebook. 'The farther he is, the better I feel.'  
'I love these Hale family feels' the younger one stood up. 'Your disfuntional family makes me feel better about mine.'  
'Shut up, Stilinski' the werewolf followed him to the door. 'Call me if you get to know something. I'll probably be in the hospital.'  
'I don't even know what would you do without me' Stiles smiled as he left the loft.  
'Enjoy the silence, I assume' Derek replied and he closed the door behind the boy.  
He walked back to the couch, sat down and started to read the notebook. There were just words, not sentences and at first sight they didn't even related. Danny's name appeared a lot of times, mostly next to Ethan's. And Lydia's as well, next to the other alpha twin's. Between Ennis and Kali's name there was a huge questionmark and the word 'revenge' with big letters. Stiles' theories could make Derek mad but most of the times he was right. After a few more minutes the werewolf closed the notebook and hid it. He went to the kitchen, grabbed some juice and snacks and left the loft.  
On his way to the hospital he was thinking about how Stiles can see every little detail the way they actually are and still believe that they don't have to kill the alphas. As he waited for the lift, he saw Danny left the hospital and he started thinking about his part in this whole story. Mrs. McCall left his sister's room in the minute the elevator's door opened, she waved at him and walked to the opposite direction. Cora was sleeping when he stepped in, so he went to the chair and quietly sat down. He watched his sister's heart monitor for a while and it popped in his mind that he hasn't seen Cora's name in Stiles's notebook. And that Erica and Boyd's names weren't in it either. Stiles wasn't stupid, he made everything on purpose and Derek was afraid that the boy wanted to say something, he didn't want to hear.


	2. It's Hard To Say Goodbye

Danny left the hospital as fast as he could. He hated wasting his time in the waiting room between the old ladies who kept gossiping about practically everything they heard once. The examination didn’t last long but he had to wait for the results. Luckily he had no problems with his heart since the operation but his mother was always worried about him. And since Ethan took him to the hospital after he had some kind of paroxysm, the boy always seemed like he’d attack anyone who looked at him. Ethan was really nice and caring but Danny had the feeling that Aidan didn’t like the way his brother felt about him. And it wasn’t something he couldn’t care about. As he walked to his car, Danny was thinking about how could he prove to Aidan that he liked his brother. On his way home he kept thinking about what to do. His parents weren’t at home when he parked. So he walked to his room, turned in his laptop and started to write his homework. After a while he heard knocking on the window. Ethan stood outside and Danny smiled at him as he opened the window.  
’What’s wrong?’ he asked when the boy finally walked to him. ’I thought you don’t have time to study today. I already started writing my homework.’  
’That’s not why I’m here, Danny’ he said and shook his head when Danny reached out to hug him. He stepped back, sat down on the boy’s bed but didn’t look at him. ’I want to break up.’  
’No, you don’t. Not after what happened’ he walked to the bed but didn’t sit down. ’Tell me what is this all about.’  
’I can’t be myself when I’m with you’ Ethan kept watching his hands.  
’I thought that’s the only time you can be yourself’ Danny smiled and knelt down.  
’You don’t understand this. I have to break up with you!’ the werewolf raised his head and looked in the eye of the other.  
’Is it because of you brother? He told you something?’ the boy asked.  
’Aidan? No, it has nothing to do with him’ he shook his head.  
’I know you have secrets and it’s alright… till you’re not cheating on me’ Danny smiled again and took Ethan’s hands. The werewolf sighed and bowed his head. The pure joy in Danny’s eyes everytime they met did weird things to his head.  
’I just want to protect you. I need you to be safe and Beacon Hills isn’t safe at the moment’ he said after a few minutes of thinking. ’You have an aunt in San Diego, right? You could move to her for a while.’  
’You’re kidding me, right? San Diego is like six hundred miles away’ Danny laughed but when he saw Ethan’s face he stopped. ’You mean it, don’t you?’  
Ethan nodded and watched Danny as he stood up just to sat down next to him a minute later. The boy looked a bit confused while waiting for him to say something. ’I can’t convince you, can I?’ Danny shook his head and he started to smile. Ethan reached his hand and cupped Danny’s face. ’I like your dimples.’  
’And I like you’ the boy kept smiling while Ethan leaned to him and kissed him slowly. ’Why do I feel like it was a goodbye kiss?’  
Ethan didn’t answer just pulled him closer and hugged him tight. ’It’s not forever, I promise.’  
Danny nodded and tried to smile because he didn’t want to make Ethan feel worse than he already felt. He kissed him one more time and followed him back to the window. They just stood there for some minutes and looked into each other's eyes. ’If anything bad happens to me, go to Scott or his pack. They can help you.’  
’His pack?’ Danny looked at him with a wondering expression on his face. ’You mean Stiles and Isaac? I’m not sure I want to. And hey, how do you mean „if anything bad happens to you”?’ Ethan practically begged with his eyes. ’You don’t have to answer that… and if I need anyone, I go to Lydia. We’re friends, she’ll help me.’  
Ethan nodded and with a resigned look on his face he turned away. ’I hope you won’t need her.’  
Watching his boyfriend as he walked away didn’t make Danny feel good. He knew there was something he didn’t know about Ethan but he trusted him. After what happened in Motel Glen Capri he knew that his secret was something Stiles and Lydia knew about. But he also knew they would never tell him.  
When he finished his homework he grabbed his trumpet and started to practice. He didn’t play since their concert where Mrs. Cavalier died. He had nightmares about that night. He remembered Ethan telling him to find him if something bad happens. Like he knew there was a chance something like that could happen. And he remembered seeing him and Aidan leaving the theatre. Everyone was freaked out but he didn’t leave till the ambulance arrived. While he was waiting for a ride home, he saw Scott trying to calm Stiles down while walking to the jeep. As they drove away he heard Stiles’ voice as he said he had nothing to lose.


	3. Important Conversations

On Monday morning, Stiles felt like he would be more than happy to stay home. But it wasn’t an option, he had important things to do that day. His father already left when he walked to the kitchen. It was his first day back in the station since Jennifer Blake tried to kill them. The sheriff has always been tough but after they spent days in the Nemeton waiting for the Darach to sacrifice them he had a little breakdown. He talked to Melissa a lot about what happened to them and she helped him accept the situation with the werewolves. She was really caring and she answered the calls even in the late night when the sheriff wasn’t able to sleep.  
On his way to his jeep, Stiles dialed Scott and waited for him to answer. He worked last night at the pets' clinic and he supposed to talk to Deaton about how did Ennis die.  
’I’m listening’ Scott said but it seemed to Stiles like he just woke up.  
’I know it’s hard to believe but it’s already Monday and we have to go to school. So I’ll pick you up in ten minutes. You better be ready when I get there’ the boy replied as he started the car. ’And don’t forget to wake Isaac up.’  
As he drove away, he started thinking about how could they save Cora’s life. Fake Blake promised Derek that she’ll save his sister but alas she couldn’t make it since he almost killed her when they finally found Stiles. She got away somehow though she was fatally injured. It wasn’t a big deal, she did that before and it made Stiles think that maybe they’ll see her once again in the near future. Derek would do anything to save his sister and even Lydia did her best to keep her alive. Stiles barely even slept because he always tried to find a new way they didn’t think of.  
Isaac already stood on the porch when Stiles arrived to the McLahey household as he called it. The boy opened the door of his car and walked to the werewolf who just smiled at him but didn’t say a word. After some minutes of waiting, Scott arrived too.  
’I hate Mondays’ that was the only thing he said while walking to the jeep. After they all sat in and Stiles started the car he continued. ’Especially the ones which come right after Sundays.’  
’Every Monday comes after a Sunday’ Isaac replied with a bright smile on his face.  
’I hope you’ll be able to make better conversations later’ Stiles added after a few minutes when he parked in his usual place. ’We’ll have a lot to do today.’  
Isaac left the car and went to Allison and Lydia because they had their first lesson together. They started to talk about something Stiles couldn’t hear and after a while they walked away. He looked at Scott who seemed to be sleepy and a bit sad. Their first lesson supposed to be literature but they still didn’t have a teacher so it wasn’t a problem if they were late a bit.  
’Did you talk to Deaton?’ Stiles asked as the bell started ringing.  
’I did. He said that Ennis could’ve lived but Deucalion had other plans. But he didn’t say if the others know about what actually happened. They didn’t see the body after Deucalion left so he could tell them anything’ Scott answered and waited for his friend to grasp everything he said.  
’So all we have to do is ask Ethan about what does he know about Ennis’ death. I mean I know he was with us on that creepy bus trip when he died but Aidan maybe told him something’ Stiles said and he opened the door of the car. The werewolf nodded and followed his friend to the class. The supply teacher arrived minutes after them and he started to talk about something didn’t even relate to the original subject so Stiles stopped listening to him after a few seconds. He watched Danny texting someone but he didn’t get an answer till the end of the class. ’Hey, Danny! How are you doing?’  
’Not now, Stiles’ the boy said and he seemed disappointed as he put his phone into his pocket. ’I’m not in the mood right now.’  
’I just wanted to ask you if you know-’ he tried but Danny turned away and left the room as fast as he could. ’That was weird.’  
’Maybe we should just ask Lydia to talk to him, they’re friends’ Scott said but Stiles didn’t react. He slowly walked to the door and when he realized his friend didn’t follow him he turned back to him. ’I’ll go and talk to them. See you after class!’  
Stiles didn’t see Ethan all morning so he decided that after lunch he’ll talk to Aidan instead. The older twin seemed frustrated all day and he looked at Danny like he wanted to kill him. Stiles suggested that something might happen to Ethan and that’s why both boys acted so weird. He didn’t tell Scott about his plan because he knew his friend wouldn’t let him talk to the alpha by himself. And he also knew that Aidan didn’t trust Scott after what happened in the hospital. So he told the werewolf he had to talk one of the teachers and he could wait for him to finish but Allison offered to take them home so they left after lunch.  
Stiles saw Aidan’s motor in the parking lot so he walked to it, leaned against it and waited for its owner to show up. He was thinking about what he exactly wanted to ask and say and how the alpha would react. He didn’t have to wait long for him to show up and as he saw him coming he stepped away from the motor. ’What a surprise meeting you here!’  
’What do you want, Stilinski?’ the alpha asked and he seemed angry.  
’I wanted to ask you if you know how Ennis died. And why Ethan skipped the school today, you know, I wanted to talk to him because I like him better but I didn’t see him so I thought you can answer my questions too’ Stiles said and he tried to smile but he stopped smiling when Aidan menacingly stepped closer.  
’If I were you, I would walk away as fast as I could if you don’t want to die’ the werewolf replied.  
’Is this an advice or a threat?’ the boy asked but didn’t wait for the alpha to answer. ’I was wondering when you decide to kill Danny because Ethan likes him. And before I forget to ask… did you know Ennis didn’t die because of his injuries but because Deucalion cracked his skull?’  
’That’s a lie’ Aidan grabbed Stiles’ throat and pushed him to the wall. ’You know, he forbade us to kill any werewolves from Scott’s pack after we killed Boyd but he didn’t say a single word about you.’  
’And you always do what he wants you to?’ the boy asked and tried to inhale. Aidan growled and his claws scratched the skin on Stiles’ neck. ’Where’s the fun in that?’  
’Killing you will be fun’ the werewolf whispered and with his other hand he increased the pressure against the boy’s lungs.  
’I can say the same about you’ Derek said as he pushed Aidan away from Stiles. ’You better go before I rip your throat out for trying to kill one of my pack members.’ he continued angrily as the other stood up. ’I know you’re not so strong without your brother.’  
Aidan walked to his bike and drove away as fast as he could. Derek cleared his throat and pointed at his Camero when Stiles started to walk to his jeep. The boy was outraged but he went to the passenger seat and sat in. ’I hope you send someone to drive my car home.’  
’Shut up and fasten your seat belt’ Derek ordered and for once, Stiles did what he said. The werewolf didn’t take him home but to the loft. The boy saw that he was really mad at him so he waited for the older one to say something. After a few minutes of silence he walked to the couch and sat down at the exact same moment when Derek turned to him. ’What the hell were you thinking?’  
’I wanted to know what he knew about Ennis’ death.’ the boy answered. ’How did you find me?’  
’It’s a funny question, you know.’ Derek said and started to walk all around the living room. ’I called Scott because I wanted to know what Deaton told him. After he finished the heart-melting story about how Deucalion crashed Ennis’ skull, I asked what you were doing because I didn’t hear your annoying voice in the background. He told me that you had something to do in the school but he didn’t know what. So I drove there and I saw Evil Twin pushing you to the wall with your neck in his hand. What were you doing?’  
’We had a friendly little conversation about his pack’ Stiles explained. ’Nothing I couldn’t handle.’  
’Having a „friendly little conversation” with a mass-murdering alpha? Are you totally out of your mind?’ Derek yelled at him.  
’It’s not like I was hooking up with a psychopath while none of my friends knew where the hell I was. Or if I was even alive’ the boy shouted back madly and he stood up.  
’Why do you care? Why do you always go back to Jennifer?’ asked angrily. ’It wasn’t you who was played by her.’  
’I can’t even believe you ask me this’ Stiles yelled back at him. ’She almost killed my father, Scott’s mother and at least two of my friends. She actually killed one of my oldest friends. And because of your boner you became so blind she could’ve killed you too! Not to mention that she wanted to sacrifice me to save herself.’  
’Shut up, Stiles!’ Derek replied loudly.  
’I won’t shut up!’ Stiles walked to him. ’You supposed to be a superhuman. How is that possible that still I’m the one who’s always right? But you never believe me until the very last moment. I told you about the sacrifices before it became official. I told you Erica would do something stupid. I was the one who said that there was something really wrong with Jackson and I told you that Matt wasn’t just an innocent photographer boy!’  
’Congrats! You deserve a medal for being a psychic’ Derek clapped and with that he made Stiles furious.  
’You won’t say that when Cora dies because all of us failed to save her!’ Stiles yelled at him and he saw that it was something he shouldn’t have said but in that moment he didn’t care. ’I tried to convince Aidan to leave Deucalion because if that part is done I can deal with the much more important thing. Like finding a way to heal Cora before the lunar eclipse because if she loses her werewolf-self she won’t be able to regenerate herself from being poisoned with mistletoe for days and she’ll die.’  
Stiles saw it was too much for Derek to handle but he knew it was late to take back everything. He already said what he was worried about since they got to know what did Jennifer to keep Cora in the hospital. The werewolf took a deep breath and turned away from Stiles. ’Go away before I do something I might regret. Leave and don’t come back!’  
The boy walked to the door but before he left he looked back at the alpha. ’I’ll be more than happy if I’m wrong, you know.’  
’Get out!’ Derek shouted and he punched the wall. He was afraid of Stiles’ being right again and he was mad at the boy for being so brutally honest with him.


	4. Brotherhood & Love

Aidan tried to call his brother again but his phone was still switched off. He was unavailable since he went to Danny to break up with him but that was four days before. Kali didn’t understand what happened and she didn’t seem to care, she wasn’t herself since her crazy ex-emissary tried to kill her. Aidan was sure Deucalion exactly knew what happened to his brother because he didn’t ask where he was, he just asked him to make sure he wouldn’t make any more trouble.  
’I had an interesting conversation with the Stilinski kid today’ Aidan turned to Kali after Deucalion left.   
’With the human? What did he want?’ she asked and walked to him.  
’He asked me if I know how Ennis died’ the younger alpha said. He knew how it would effect on Kali.  
’Derek almost killed him and the veterinarian finished what he started’ she replied with a straight face but he knew her. He heard her heart skipping a beat after he said Ennis’ name and he saw her sad eyes.  
’He told me that he didn’t die because of his injuries but because Deucalion killed him. I mean we didn’t see his body after he left’ the werewolf continued quietly.  
’Why would he do that?’ Kali cried and he saw the tears in her eyes. He knew Ennis and Kali were mates and it made them stronger than they were with his brother on their best days.  
’For the same reason he asked me to kill Ethan’ he answered and bowed his head. Kali took a step back and looked at him with surprise on her face. After a few minutes of silence, she put her hands on his shoulders.  
’What are you going to do?’ she asked thoughtfully. She was like an aunt to him, she helped them a lot after they became pack members. Deucalion taught them how to kill without scruple but it was Kali who showed them how to handle their power and how to work together as a team.  
’I have to find Ethan before I answer this question. I don’t know why he left without saying a word’ the young werewolf shook his head and looked her in the eye. ’I have to find my brother.’  
He ran to his bike and drove away before Kali could say anything. He knew she wouldn’t have stopped him but he didn’t want to get her in trouble by telling her where he was about to go. He drove through the town and parked his bike in the park. It was late and no one was on the streets so he sat down on a bench and watched the houses around the park. After an hour of sitting he saw his brother leaving Danny’s house. Ethan noticed him in the minute he left the porch and slowly walked to him.  
’He sent you to kill me, didn’t he?’ his brother asked when he stepped in to the shades. Aidan nodded and he knew he understood the unasked questions. ’He told me I can choose if I want to kill you or Danny.’ his brother took a step back like he was aggrieved. At first Ethan didn’t understand but after a minute he realized how meant it. ’I think he might be my mate.’  
Aidan smiled but his eyes were sad to the thought of losing his brother. ’He told me you left after he found you making plans on killing me… because you wanted to join to Scott’s pack to be with Danny.’  
’What made you change your mind?’ Ethan asked when his brother stopped talking. ’I thought you wanted to kill him.’  
’I wanted to. But Scott and his pack were around him all day’ Aidan explained. ’And after classes Stiles came to me and told me he knew Deucalion killed Ennis.’  
Ethan was shocked and they stood in the shades for minutes before he replied. ’Have you told Kali? Is she okay?’  
’If we can believe Stilinski, her alpha killed her mate. I know she’s tough but I don’t think she’s okay’ he said and looked around. ’What Stiles told me made me think about our relationship with Deucalion. I don’t know if we owe him anymore. We killed our pack to became members of his pack, we did everything he asked us and now he wants us to kill each other just because he doesn’t need us anymore.’  
’What do you think we should do?’ Ethan asked and stepped closer. Aidan shook his head and walked to his bike. ’I know where to go. But I have to do something before we leave.’  
’I thought you already told him goodbye’ the older brother said as he put his helmet on.  
’I didn’t. Not for real’ the younger one answered and walked back to the house he left half an hour before. He listened to the sounds of the night, he heard the owls and cats looking for their preys in the dark. He heard a lot of calm heartbeats behind the closed doors and he recognized the one which belonged to his boyfriend. He stepped to Danny’s window and knocked on it four times. He heard the boy’s heart beating faster as he left the bed and walked to the window to open it. He smiled at him from behind the glass and Ethan would be sure his eyes shined brighter than ever before.  
’I’m glad you came back’ he said and took a step back as Ethan went in through the window. The werewolf didn’t smile back at him and he understood what it meant. ’I guess this time it’s forever.’  
Ethan nodded, hugged him and held him tight. They stood next to the window for long minutes but after a while the werewolf stepped to the window and looked out of it. ’I have to go.’  
’I know’ Danny smiled and he watched his boyfriend leaving the way he got in. He leaned to him and kissed him gently, Ethan deepened the kiss after a few seconds and he wished he could stuck in the moment forever. But he heard his brother clearing his throat on the other side of the road and he broke off the kiss. ’I’m going to miss you.’ The werewolf smiled and as he walked away from the window he heard Danny’s heart beating faster. ’I love you.’  
Ethan would do anything if he could go back to him and take him away from this town forever but all he did was turning back and waving at the boy. ’You too’ he whispered and ran to his brother. As he sat behind him on the bike, he started it and they drove away as fast as they could.


	5. Lunar Eclipse

Derek stood next to Cora's bed in the hospital. He was waiting for Scott's mom to walk in with the new results and tell him his sister's going to be alright. Peter slept in the chair next to the window, he has been there since they took her back to the hospital after Derek took most of her pain away. He felt himself weak and tired, and as he walked to the other chair he brought in, he looked out of the window and watched the sun. He knew he had only a few hours before the lunar eclipse and he had to know what was wrong with his sister.  
'Derek, I got the results' Melissa walked in and closed the door. The werewolf turned to her with pain and fear in his eyes. 'I don't want to scare you but it seems like she's not able to regenerate.'  
'Is she getting worse?' he asked and went to his sister.  
'I wouldn't say that' she shook her head and walked to her too. 'It's like her body doesn't know what to do. The doctor said it's maybe because of the traumatic brain injury she suffered when she got this wound on her head' she saw the change on the boy's face. Instead of being worried, he became furious and it scared Melissa so she continued. 'But I talked to the boys and Stiles said it can be because there's still some mistletoe in her body. And it makes her unable to regenerate.'  
'I don't care about what Stiles thinks' Derek answered gruffly and stroked Cora's hair from her face. 'What's your opinion?'  
'I'm not a doctor so it's not my thing to tell you… and I'm not a part of this supernatural world for as long as Stiles is' she replied and stepped out of the door. But before she closed it, she turned back to the werewolf. 'Before anything happens I want you to know that it's not your fault what happened to her.'  
'I'm not a doctor either but I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean she's alright' Peter stood up and walked to his niece's bed. 'I'm wondering how long your girlfriend poisoned her.'  
'I'm not sure you're the one who has the right to blame me for losing Cora. After what you did to Laura' Derek growled at him. They looked each other into the eyes for minutes but once Peter turned away and fished his phone out of his pocket. He watched the screen for some seconds but after a while he walked to the window and raised the phone to his ear.  
'I need to talk to Derek' the werewolf heard Stiles' voice from the other side. Peter smiled at his nephew and said something about bad timing and rude teenagers. 'I couldn't care less about what you think of me. Give the damn phone to Derek! I have to talk to him.'  
'What do you want?' the werewolf asked and he left the room. 'I thought you already said what you wanted to say.'  
'I will pretend like I didn't hear what you just said because I know you're worried about Cora. And I have to tell you that I might found a way to save your sister's life' Stiles answered and he sounded hopeful. 'You have to find the tree Jennifer grew the mistletoe on. And I know how crazy this sounds but I'm pretty sure it's a silver birch. There's only a few of them in the town. I already sent the guys to find it but you're the one who knew her-'  
'How could a tree help her?' Derek raised his eyebrows but he was relieved that there was something he could do and he didn't have to watch his sister dying in the hospital.  
'The mistletoe and the tree it was attached to have some special connection' Stiles explained excitedly. 'And if I'm right the mistletoe will always attach to the same tree because of the magical connection between them. So all we have to do is make Cora eat the tree and-'  
'You want to make my sick sister to eat a tree?' he asked louder than he wanted to but he only realized that when everyone on the aisle turned to him. The boy nervously explained something about cutting and milling it. 'It's not the best time to make jokes, Stiles.'  
'You want to save her or not? Because I do' the boy said seriously. 'Please, listen to me. I just want to help.'  
'I know you do' the other one answered and hung up. He walked back to Cora's room and listened to her trying to talk to Peter. Her voice was weak and she stopped a lot of times like it physically hurt her to talk but she was persistent. He heard his voice too as he promised they will try to save her till the very last minute.  
'I know you do, Uncle Peter' Cora smiled and in that moment Derek remembered she said the same when they were kids and the girl broke both of her legs when she jumped out of her room's window like she saw Laura and Derek did it. She healed in no time and Peter promised her he'd help her being the best werewolf ever.  
Derek saw Peter's face and he thought that probably the same memory popped into his mind too. They both turned to the door as he stepped in and he smiled at his sister reassuringly as their uncle left the room. 'I leave you two alone' he said and closed the door behind him.  
'Hey, Grumpy' Cora smiled back as Derek stepped to her and sat down on the bed. 'I thought I told you to go home. You look terrible.'  
'You're not a Beauty Queen either at the moment' he said and took her hand in his. 'I came back. But I have to go again because Stiles might found a way to neutralize mistletoe-'  
'He did? It's nice from him for trying after everything he's been through. He must like us very much' she whispered and raised her hand to touch her brother's face.  
'Yeah, he must' Derek sighed. 'Or he just can't stand to stay away.'  
'It's such a luck you're at least handsome' she giggled but he saw it hurt her so he raised his hands to her face. 'Don't! I can handle the pain. I just wanted to tell you something.'  
'You're speaking like you're about to die' her brother said and shook his head. He kissed her forehead and walked to the door. 'I should go so I can be back sooner with the magical solution.'  
'Derek, you have to stop blaming yourself for everything!' she cried out as she sat up when he stepped to the door. 'The fire wasn't your fault nor were Erica and Boyd's death. This isn't your fault either!' he turned back to her with guilt and pain in his eyes. 'All you have to do is learn how to trust, how to relate and find _the right person_. He's closer than you think.'  
'I'll be back in no time. Try to sleep!' he said and closed the door behind himself. He looked around but didn't see Peter on the aisle so he walked to the nurse counter. 'I'll be back in an hour but if something happens, call me!'  
The nurse nodded and turned back to the computer. Derek walked to the lift and while he waited he was thinking about where could Jennifer grew the mistletoe. When he got bored with waiting for the elevator, he decided to walked down the stairs. He headed to his car as he watched the sunset. The full moon was already visible but there were no sign of the lunar eclipse. He stopped next to his car and took a deep breath as he tried to focus on his senses. He saw a raven circulating over the parking lot. He could smell the typical scent of cleaning supplies. And as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, he heard a nurse yelling „ **Code Blue** " somewhere in the building.  
He felt like the whole world moved slow motion as he ran back to Cora's room and saw Scott's mom with the defibrillator in her hands. 'Clear!' she shouted and everyone stepped away from his sister. They repeated this like ten times before Melissa was stopped by the doctor. He saw Peter walking to his direction but he was way too scared to care about him. The room was full with people Derek has never seen before and they talked about things he didn't want to hear. They switched off the heart monitor and with that the annoyingly monotonic sound stopped. After they left the room, Melissa stepped to him and put her hands on his shoulders. 'I talked to the doctor and you're allowed tell her goodbye' she said and wiped a tear. 'I am really sorry for your loss. Is there someone you want me to call?'  
He shook his head and waited for her to leave. After she closed the door, he walked to his little sister and grabbed her hands. He felt the tears flowing down his face and hugged the body of his sister. 'I'm so sorry, Cora! I should've been a better alpha… a-a better brother. I should've died in the fire instead of mom. She would've known how to save you. All of them would be a better guardian than I am. I didn't mean to disappoint you. I am so sorry, little sister!'  
Derek didn't remember how he got home from the hospital. But he was in the loft with Peter's letter in his hands. After he read it one more time, he crumpled it and threw it away. The lunar eclipse was full and he was just a human with his misery. He wanted to kill Jennifer once again for poisoning his sister for days. And he wanted to kill Aidan too because he was the one who hit her head. But he didn't know where the alpha twins were and he knew that without his werewolf-self, they could kill him easily. Though in that moment it didn't seem a bad thing.  
'I know I'm probably the last person you want to see but-' Stiles stepped in to the loft and closed the door behind him. 'But I've been there when Melissa called Scott and told him what happened. And I just wanted to check on you.'  
'Wonderful. Now that you saw me, you can leave!' Derek replied and walked to his desk. On his way to it, he kicked the remains of Peter's letter.  
'That's not going to happen' the boy said and grabbed the paper. 'What is this?' he started to read the letter and sighed when he finally finished it. 'You can't believe him. It wasn't your fault, Derek!'  
'I don't think you understand the situation. My sister died because I wasn't able to save her life. He knew I wouldn't make a good alpha, he knew this would happen. You knew this would happen' Derek said and he didn't care about the boy seeing his tears.  
'Okay, you have to stop this right now!' Stiles stood up and walked to him. 'You have to stop letting people kick you when you're already down! I understand you blame yourself for what happened to her. Been there, done that. But I'm sure she would kick your ass if she saw you do this to yourself' he put his hand on the werewolf's shoulder and with a light smile on his face he added 'And then she would kick mine for letting you do this.'  
'You just don't get it, Stiles! I screwed up everything! Cora died because I wasn't able to save her life. I threw a glass to Isaac to bundle him off, Erica and Boyd died because I was a bad alpha. I killed my own uncle, who killed my sister, to become an alpha. Kate set my family's house on fire when they were in it' he shouted to the boy's face. 'Everyone around me gets killed… it's me who should've died in the fire.'  
'Okay, now it's me who'll kick your ass!' Stiles yelled at him. 'How can you blame yourself for everything bad? I know you can be egoist sometimes and I don't want to ruin the little fantasy in your head but the world doesn't revolve around you. Bad things happen to good people too! And believe me when I say that life isn't fair' he shook Derek's shoulders.  
'I don't want this anymore, Stiles. I'm tired of trying to make my life better because every time when things getting better, something happens and everything becomes worse than it was before' the werewolf said and he bowed his head as he sat down on the floor.  
'Hey, you can't think like that' the boy replied as he knelt down and lifted up Derek's head. 'We will get through this, I promise. I've been in the same situation before and believe me when I say, all you have to do is learn how to relate again' the werewolf looked in the eyes of the boy as he said the familiar words. Stiles smiled at him diffidently and held his hand. Derek looked at their hands for some minutes then when the boy wanted to take away his, he tightened. Stiles' smile calmed him down and when he took a deep breath, the boy opened his mouth again. 'I'll be here, don't worry! I'll help you through this.'  
  
And Derek knew he could trust Stiles. He found _the one_ who could teach him how to relate.


End file.
